U.S. patent application number 11/493206 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-23 for system and method for providing a webpage.
Invention is credited to Veena Y. Dong, Ethan R. Nicholas.
Application Number | 20060265647 11/493206 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33564193 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060265647 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nicholas; Ethan R. ; et
al. |
November 23, 2006 |
System and method for providing a webpage
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for providing a webpage
comprising receiving instructions for previewing a page; creating a
preview version of the page, wherein links are modified to reflect
a location of the preview version; and displaying the preview
version of the page.
Inventors: |
Nicholas; Ethan R.; (San
Jose, CA) ; Dong; Veena Y.; (Fremont, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HICKMAN PALERMO TRUONG & BECKER, LLP
2055 GATEWAY PLACE
SUITE 550
SAN JOSE
CA
95110
US
|
Family ID: |
33564193 |
Appl. No.: |
11/493206 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10607452 |
Jun 25, 2003 |
7111229 |
|
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11493206 |
Jul 25, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/234 ;
715/764 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/106
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/530 ;
715/511; 715/764 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/00 20060101
G06F017/00; G06F 3/00 20060101 G06F003/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for displaying a preview version
of a webpage, comprising: generating a first display of a first
copy of a saved version of the webpage in a first window;
generating a second display of a second copy of the saved version
of the webpage in a second window; wherein the first window and the
second window are displayed concurrently; receiving a first
modification to the first copy of the webpage in the first window;
prior to said first modification being saved to the saved version
of the webpage, automatically updating the second display of the
second copy of the saved version of the webpage in the second
window to reflect the first modification.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to
display a preview version of the webpage.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second window does not
include at least one component that is displayed in the first
window and the at least one component is at least one of a border,
highlight, or grid.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a third
window for designing a navigation bar, wherein generating the
second display of the copy of the saved version of the webpage
includes generating the navigation bar designed in the third window
in the preview version.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the navigation bar is comprised
of a set of buttons.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second
modification to the first copy of the webpage, wherein the step of
automatically updating the webpage in the second window further
comprises automatically updating the webpage in the second window
to reflect the first modification and the second modification
simultaneously after the lapse of a certain period of time.
7. A computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
1.
8. A computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
2.
9. A computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
3.
10. A computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
4.
11. A computer readable medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
5.
12. A computer readable-medium comprising one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim
6.
13. An apparatus for displaying a preview version of a webpage
comprising: means for generating a first display of a first copy of
a saved version of the webpage in a first window; means for
generating a second display of a second copy of the saved version
of the webpage in a second window; wherein the first window and the
second window are displayed concurrently; means for receiving a
first modification to the first copy of the webpage in the first
window; prior to said first modification being saved to the saved
version of the webpage, means for automatically updating the second
display of the second copy of the saved version of the webpage in
the second window to reflect the first modification.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for
receiving a request to display a preview version of the
webpage.
15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second window does not
include at least one component that is displayed in the first
window and the at least one component is at least one of a border,
highlight, or grid.
16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for
displaying a third window for designing a navigation bar, wherein
generating the second display of the second copy of the saved
version of the webpage includes generating the navigation bar
designed in the third window in the preview version.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the navigation bar is
comprised of a set of buttons.
18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for
receiving a second modification to the first copy of the webpage,
wherein the step of automatically updating the webpage in the
second window further comprises automatically updating the webpage
in the second window to reflect the first modification and the
second modification simultaneously after the lapse of a certain
period of time.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION; PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority to
U.S. Non Provisional Patent Application No. 10/607,452, filed Jun.
25, 2003, entitled System and Method for Providing a Webpage, and
naming as inventors Ethan R. Nicholas and Veena Y. Dong, the entire
contents of are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety
for all purposes
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to webpages. More
specifically, a system and method for creating or modifying a
webpage is disclosed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Webpage designers are turning more frequently to webpage
design tools. Often, a user will open and edit multiple webpages
simultaneously when using a design tool. The complexity of juggling
multiple pages can be difficult to manage and coordinate changes
among the various pages. What is needed is a system and method for
efficiently creating and modifying a webpage. The present invention
addresses such a need.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The present invention will be readily understood by the
following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural
elements, and in which:
[0005] FIGS. 1A-1B are block diagrams of a system and method for
modifying a webpage according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method according to an
embodiment of the present invention for modifying a webpage.
[0007] FIG. 3 is an example of a screen shot illustrating a live
preview pane according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a screen shot of a navigation bar creation window
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 5 shows an example of a navigation bar according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] It should be appreciated that the present invention can be
implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus,
a system, or a computer readable medium such as a computer readable
storage medium or a computer network wherein program instructions
are sent over optical or electronic communication links. It should
be noted that the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be
altered within the scope of the invention.
[0011] A detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments
of the invention is provided below along with accompanying figures
that illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.
While the invention is described in connection with such
embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not
limited to any embodiment. On the contrary, the scope of the
invention is limited only by the appended claims and the invention
encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents.
For the purpose of example, numerous specific details are set forth
in the following description in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the present invention. The present invention may
be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these
specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material
that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has
not been described in detail so that the present invention is not
unnecessarily obscured.
[0012] FIGS. 1A-1B are block diagrams of a system and method for
modifying a webpage according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The word modify, as used herein, includes but is not
limited to, creating a new webpage as well as modifying an existing
webpage. Likewise, the word create or creating, as used herein,
includes but is not limited to, creating a new webpage as well as
modifying an existing webpage. FIG. 1A shows a simplified example
of a webpage which includes page 100 and page 102. In this example,
page 100 includes a link to webpage 102. Webpage 102 is shown to
also include a link to webpage 100. If the user modifies webpage
100, and then chooses to preview either webpage 100 or 102, then
the latest version of webpages 100-102 are shown so that if the
user selects the link 106 to webpage 100, then the modified version
of webpage 100 is displayed rather than the old, unmodified
version. Likewise, if the user has modified webpage 102, if the
user selects the link 104 to webpage 102, then the most recently
modified version of webpage 102 is shown, regardless of whether he
has saved the latest modification.
[0013] In FIG. 1B, a preview version of the modified webpage 100'
is shown along with a preview version of webpage 102'. In this
example, a preview version 100' of webpage 100 is created and
saved, preferably when a preview command is selected by the user or
when the webpage 100' is saved, in order to capture changes made by
the user. The preview versions of the webpages 100'-102' contain
modified links 104'-106 '. The modified links 104'-106 ' are
modified to link to the preview versions webpage 100' and webpage
102' rather than the saved versions 100-102. In this manner, the
links are consistent to the user when the user previews a webpage
prior to saving his changes. For example, if the user makes changes
to webpage 100 and webpage 102, when he chooses to preview webpage
102, he will see the preview version 102' and when he selects the
link 106' to webpage A, then the preview version of webpage 100'
will be displayed. Likewise, when he selects link 104' to webpage
B, then the preview version 102' will be displayed. Accordingly,
the preview versions of the webpages will appear consistent during
modification.
[0014] If the links are not rendered until the web browser
launches, then the assets associated with the links can be modified
so that when the links are rendered, the links will be modified.
Alternatively, the links themselves can be modified.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method according to an
embodiment of the present invention for modifying a webpage. In
this example, two pages are open. A saved version of page A is
provided (198). This saved version can be a preexisting page or a
new, blank page that has not yet been customized. Page A is
modified by a user (200). Instructions are received to preview page
A (202). The saved version of page A is left unmodified and a
preview version of page A is created which looks like the modified
version of page A (204). In one embodiment, all files currently
open and modified since the last preview has a preview version
created that look like the current pages, regardless of whether the
latest changes had been saved. In one embodiment, the preview
versions can be generated every time a file is saved in addition to
or instead of creating the preview versions when the user selects
to preview a page. Additionally, a preview version of all files
that have no current preview versions can be created, for example
when a file is saved or when a preview instruction is received. One
example of creating a preview version is to regenerate the entire
file in the latest modified form.
[0016] Links for the webpages are modified so that the links point
to the proper preview page at the preview location upon which the
preview page is saved (206). In one embodiment, the memory location
of the saved webpage is replaced with the preview location of the
corresponding preview page. Accordingly, if the preview location is
the same as the memory location of the saved webpage, then the
actual link may remain the same since it will be replaced with the
same information. In another embodiment, there could be a
determination of whether the link should be changed rather than
substituting all links.
[0017] All references to assets in the webpages are changed to the
preview location of these files (208). An asset, as referred to
herein, includes any file which can be incorporated into a website,
such as html files, images, or animation. An example of a preview
location is cache or a different memory location rather than the
memory location where the saved version of the webpage is located.
Changing the references to assets to the preview location of these
files will facilitate consistency of the various pages when the
user wishes to preview them.
[0018] The web browser is then invoked and directed to the preview
version of page A (210).
[0019] In another aspect of the invention, a preview pane can be
used to substantially immediately show the effects of a
modification of a webpage. FIG. 3 is an example of a screen shot
illustrating a live preview pane according to an embodiment of the
present invention. In this example, a webpage 302 is being modified
by a user. The preview pane 300 shows a preview of what the webpage
302 will look like. Changes to webpage 302 are reflected in the
preview pane 300. In one embodiment, the changes made to webpage
302 are immediately updated in the preview pane 300. In another
embodiment, the preview pane 300 can be updated periodically, for
example, if the user makes a change on webpage 302, then a timer
can be set and the preview pane 300 can be updated a half a second
later so that all of the changes made within that time period can
be updated together in the preview pane 300.
[0020] The preview pane 300 can be modified so that extraneous
items such as border, highlights, or grid, are shown in webpage 302
are not displayed in preview pane 300. In one embodiment webpage
302 momentarily turns off the borders, highlights, and grid, or
anything else that would not normally be seen in the final
published webpage, and is rendered without the turned-off
components in preview pane 300, then turned back on in page 302.
This sequence preferably occurs fast enough so that it is not
noticeable by the user.
[0021] In rendering the preview pane 300, each object on page 302
can be made to paint itself onto preview pane 300. Accordingly, the
graphics context of the object is created, scaled to a small size
appropriate for the preview pane 300. Each object is then
instructed to paint itself to the graphics context and then display
on the screen in preview pane 300.
[0022] In yet another aspect of the invention, a navigation bar is
disclosed. FIG. 4 is a screen shot of a navigation bar creation
window according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this
example, a navigation bar window 400 lists all pages 402A-402B on
the website so that the user can select the pages to become part of
the navigation bar. A theme can also be selected for the button
effects and rollovers so that the user can automatically select a
set of appearances for the buttons when they are unselected, when
the mouse rolls over the button, and when they are selected. The
navigation bar's appearance can also be previewed in a preview
window.
[0023] FIG. 5 shows an example of a navigation bar 500 which can be
viewed as a set of buttons that link to various locations within
the website. These buttons on the navigation bar 500 can function
as a single object so that when the user drags the navigation bar
500, all of the buttons 502A-502B move as a single object. The
images associated with the navigation bar 500 can be rendered at
publish time. Each button 502A-502B of the navigation bar 500 can
have multiple images, such as three images: mouse rollover, active,
and inactive, wherein the mouse rollover is when the cursor is on a
button, active is the page that is being displayed, and inactive is
a page that this not being displayed. The navigation bar 500 is an
asset that can be added to many pages and when the navigation bar
500 is changed, the changed bar 500 can be seen in all the webpages
without having to change it for each individual page.
[0024] Although the foregoing invention has been described in some
detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be
apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced
within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that
there are many alternative ways of implementing both the process
and apparatus of the present invention. Accordingly, the present
embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not
restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details
given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents
of the appended claims.
* * * * *